Source: gammadecay-1, Burkhard HF, Wikimedia Commons

Nuclear decay is used for many applications in medicine and industry. The energy that is released during nuclear decay is easy to focus and control and provides many benefits to doctors and scientists. In this section, you will look at a few of the uses in the context of gamma decay.

A PET Scanner Used for Diagnosing Patients Source: PET Scanner, Jens Langner, Wikimedia Commons	Example of Radiation Therapy to the Abdomen Source: Radiation WholeAbdomen2.jpg Tdvorak, Wikimedia Commons

Radiation Therapy and Diagnostic Imaging

Doctors use focused radiation from natural decay processes to kill cancerous cells in the body. This radiation can be used with ever-increasing precision to destroy the harmful cells in and around a tumor while leaving healthy cells unharmed. Gamma radiation is the most commonly used radiation for these treatments. Doctors also use radiation from decay for imaging. They can inject a patient with a radioactive dye—or the patient can take a radioactive medication—and then use an extremely sensitive detector to create detailed images of glands and other soft tissues.

U.S. Symbol for Food that Has Been Irradiated Source: Radiation Symbol, Beao, Wikimedia Commons	Dental Instruments Being Prepared for Sanitization Source: Sanitizing Dental Instruments, US Navy, Wikimedia Commons

Sanitization and Preservation

One of the most common uses of radiation in the industry field is sanitizing instruments, surfaces, and even food products. Radiation will kill bacteria and destroy viruses leaving surgical equipment and laboratory glassware totally sanitized. It will clean surfaces in industrial plants and even remove pathogens from food.

In this section, you had an opportunity to learn about some of the practical applications for gamma decay. In the upcoming sections, you will look at the quantum effect.